Horse fly
A horse fly is a type of insect and a member of the family Tabanidae (order Diptera). More specifically they are any member of the genus Tabanus. These stout flies are as small as a housefly or as large as a bumblebee. Their metallic or iridescent eyes meet dorsally in the male and are separate in the female. Gad-fly, a nickname, may refer either to the fly’s roving habits or to its mouthparts, which resemble a wedge-shaped miner’s tool.
| Horse fly | |
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| Tabanus sulcifrons | |
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| Family: | Tabanidae
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The bites of the female fly often carry parasites onto the victim (such as a horse). The resulting sore can be extremely distressing to the animal.
Horse Fly Media
Robert Hooke marvelled at the eyes of a "drone fly" in his Micrographia (1665), perhaps the earliest accurate depiction of a horsefly
Horseflies in the genus Haematopota typically have speckled wings
Long-tongued horseflies (subfamily Pangoniinae) like this Philoliche sp. have specialized nectar-sucking mouthparts.
Tabanus mouthparts: The sharp cutting stylets are on the right, the spongelike lapping part in the centre.
Female horse-fly laying eggs
A mud cylinder created by a tabanid before pupation
The horse guard wasp, Stictia carolina, catches horse-flies to provision its brood in a nest.
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